Sign up to receive free email alerts when patent applications with chosen keywords are publishedSIGN UP

Abstract:

A system and method are described for broadcasting/multicasting content
using surplus network capacity. The systems and methods are directed to
solving the problem of how to simultaneously broadcast/multicast large
content files to a plurality of users for later retrieval by using
existing network capacity as opposed to being forced to add new capacity
to handle peak demand. Generally, the methods comprise receiving data to
be distributed, determining surplus network capacity, and distributing
the data within the surplus network capacity to a plurality of subscriber
devices.

Claims:

1. A computer-implemented method for delivering media content using
surplus network capacity, comprising:receiving data to be
distributed;determining surplus network capacity; anddistributing the
data to at least one subscriber device within the surplus network
capacity.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining surplus
network capacity comprises:determining an unused portion of a downlink
channel for a particular time frame; andscheduling a portion of the data
to be distributed in the particular time frame.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving data to
be distributed comprises:receiving the data at a wireless base station
from a network; andcaching the data in a memory at the wireless base
station.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving data to
be distributed comprises:formatting the data into multiple sub-blocks to
be distributed to the at least one subscriber device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein distributing the
data to at least one subscriber device comprises:simultaneously
multicasting the data to a plurality of subscriber devices.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein distributing the
data to at least one subscriber device does not interfere with cross
traffic on a transmission channel.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:storing
the distributed data at the at least one subscriber device for later
retrieval by a user.

8. A communication system for delivering media content using surplus
network capacity, comprising:a base station;at least one subscriber
device associated with the base station; anda data communication network
associated with the base station,wherein the system is configured
to:receive data to be distributed;determine surplus network capacity;
anddistribute the data to the at least one subscriber device within the
surplus network capacity.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining surplus network capacity
comprises:determining an unused portion of a downlink channel of the base
station for a particular time frame; andscheduling a portion of the data
to be distributed in the particular time frame.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein receiving data to be distributed
comprises:receiving the data at the base station from the data
communication network; andcaching the data in a memory at the base
station.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein receiving data to be distributed
comprises:formatting the data into multiple sub-blocks to be distributed
to the at least one subscriber device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein distributing the data to at least one
subscriber device comprises:simultaneously multicasting the data to a
plurality of subscriber devices.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein distributing the data to at least one
subscriber device does not interfere with cross traffic on a transmission
channel.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the at least one subscriber
device comprises means for detecting and correcting transmission errors.

15. A computer readable medium encoded with computer-executable
instructions for delivering media content using surplus network capacity,
which when executed, performs a method comprising:receiving data to be
distributed;determining surplus network capacity; anddistributing the
data to at least one subscriber device within the surplus network
capacity.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining surplus
network capacity comprises:determining an unused portion of a downlink
channel for a particular time frame; andscheduling a portion of the data
to be distributed in the particular time frame.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving data to be
distributed comprises:receiving the data at a wireless base station from
a network; andcaching the data in a memory at the wireless base station.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving data to be
distributed comprises:formatting the data into multiple sub-blocks to be
distributed to the at least one subscriber device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein distributing the
data to at least one subscriber device comprises:simultaneously
multicasting the data to a plurality of subscriber devices.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein distributing the
data to at least one subscriber device does not interfere with cross
traffic on a transmission channel.

[0002]The field of the present invention generally relates to systems and
methods for simultaneously distributing digital content to a plurality of
users in a communications system. In one preferred embodiment, the system
and method supports broadcast/multicast capabilities where a single copy
of a digital packet is received by all or a selected few of subscriber
devices associated with a base station.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003]Digital media content distribution services continue to grow at an
astonishing rate in response to the evolution of modern data
communications networks that can facilitate high-speed data transfers for
vast amounts of digital media content data. Whether digital media content
distribution occurs over wireline networks, such as fiber-optic or cable
networks, satellite networks, or over wireless networks, such as 3G, 3GPP
LTE, LTE Advanced, WiMAX, or 4G cellular networks, the trend of
increasing distribution service capacity and flexibility remains a key
objective for most media content service providers. Over the past decade,
consumer exposure to state-of-the-art digital media content distribution
and playback technologies (e.g., digital video recorders (DVRs),
multi-function cellular phones, PDAs, satellite radio and television
devices, e-books devices, etc.) has created a significant demand for
improved digital media content delivery services.

[0005]In the past, such media content may have been delivered using a
common broadcasting technique by transmitting the particular media
content to all subscriber devices capable of receiving the transmission
(e.g., broadcasting an analog TV signal). Alternatively, media content
may also be delivered using multicasting, which is similar to
broadcasting in the sense that one transmission is received by a
plurality of receiver devices, although in multicasting the receiving
devices may be specified for restricted reception (e.g., subscriber-based
cable TV).

[0006]Modern networks support a variety of traffic types such as voice
traffic, data traffic, and transfer of other media content. When large
numbers of network users simultaneously transfer particularly burdensome
media content files, such as high definition audiovisual files, networks
can become congested. This congestion can negatively affect cumulative
network throughput as well as the Quality of Service (QOS) and the
Quality of Experience (QOE) for most network users.

[0007]To remedy the problems associated with congestion and the lack of
network capacity (e.g., available network bandwidth) during peak usage
periods of operation, network service providers often commit to
expensive, time-consuming technology additions and/or upgrades. These
network enhancements serve to alleviate network congestion periods and to
avoid persistent customer service calls from irritated customers. This
solution may not be desirable, however, because of the costs associated
with physical upgrades and because of the inevitable swelling of demand
to fill the increased capacity.

[0008]In view of the foregoing, it would be optimal to implement systems
and methods for reducing congestion and increasing throughput in a
communication network without having to increase overall capacity of the
communication network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009]This summary is provided to introduce (in a simplified form) a
selection of concepts that are further described below in the Detailed
Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the
claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in
determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0010]In overcoming the above disadvantages associated with current
content distribution schemes, the present invention discloses systems and
methods for broadcasting content using surplus network capacity. In an
embodiment, the present invention discloses a computer-implemented method
for delivering media content using surplus network capacity, which may
include: receiving data to be distributed; determining surplus network
capacity; and distributing the data to at least one subscriber device
within the surplus network capacity.

[0011]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
determining surplus network capacity may include: determining an unused
portion of a downlink channel for a particular time frame; and scheduling
a portion of the data to be distributed in the particular time frame.

[0012]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
receiving data to be distributed may include: receiving the data at a
wireless base station from a network; and caching the data in a memory at
the wireless base station.

[0013]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
receiving data to be distributed may include: formatting the data into
multiple sub-blocks to be distributed to at least one subscriber device.

[0014]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
distributing the data to at least one subscriber device may include:
simultaneously multicasting the data to multiple subscriber devices.

[0015]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
distributing the data to at least one subscriber device does not
interfere with cross traffic on a transmission channel.

[0016]In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the
invention may further include storing the distributed data at the at
least one subscriber device for later retrieval by a user.

[0017]In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a
communication system for delivering media content using surplus network
capacity may include: a base station; at least one subscriber device
associated with the base station; and a data communication network
associated with the base station, wherein the system is configured to:
receive data to be distributed; determine surplus network capacity; and
distribute the data to the at least one subscriber device within the
surplus network capacity.

[0018]In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention is a
computer readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions
for delivering media content using surplus network capacity, which when
executed, performs a method which may include: receiving data to be
distributed; determining surplus network capacity; and distributing the
data to at least one subscriber device within the surplus network
capacity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are
described in detail below by way of example and with reference to the
drawings, in which:

[0020]FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a networked computing
system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram view of a base station in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a base station and/or a server
computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 4 illustrates various communication paths and networks between
wireless base stations in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;

[0024]FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of wireless resources in a wireless
transmission in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram depicting processes for
broadcasting content in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;

[0026]FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram depicting processes for
broadcasting content in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention; and

[0027]FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram depicting processes for
broadcasting content in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028]In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a networked computing system 100
including various wireline and wireless computing devices that may be
utilized to implement any of the processes for broadcasting content using
surplus network capacity associated with various embodiments of the
present invention. The networked computing system 100 may include, but is
not limited to, one or more remote base station devices 106a, which may
be associated with a macrocell, a microcell, or a picocell base station
that may be a neighboring base station to one or more short-range base
station devices 116a (e.g., a femtocell or picocell device) within a
particular region of the networked computing system 100; a group of
remote service provider devices 104a-c, including server computers or any
other common network device known in the art such as routers, gateways,
or switch devices, which can support network resource allocation and/or
digital data communication services to various network subscriber
computing devices (e.g., any of the devices 108a-c, 110, 112, 114, 116a,
118, 120, and 122); a data communications network 102, including both
Wide Area Network 106b (WAN), and Local Area Network 116b (LAN) portions;
a variety of wireless user equipment, including: cellular phone or PDA
devices 108a-c, 118 and 120, and a laptop or netbook computer 122, along
with any other common portable wireless computing devices well known in
the art (e.g., handheld gaming units, personal music players, video
recorders, electronic book devices, etc.) that are capable of
communicating with the data communications network 102 utilizing one or
more of the remote base stations 106a, the short-range base station
device 116a, or any other common wireless or wireline network
communications technology; one or more network gateways or switch devices
110 and router 112 that can facilitate data communications processes
within the LAN and between the LAN and the WAN of the data communications
network 102; and a desktop computer 114 optionally connected to the LAN.
While FIG. 1 only illustrates one long-range base station device 106a and
one short-range base station device 116a, it may be apparent that the
networked computing system 100 may include multiple base stations with
varying degrees of size and overlap.

[0029]In an embodiment, the remote base station 106a, the short-range base
station device 116a (e.g., a femtocell or picocell base station), the
remote service provider devices 104a-c, or any of the user equipment
(e.g., 108a-c, 114, 118, 120, or 122) may be configured to run any
well-known operating system, including, but not limited to:
Microsoft® Windows®, Mac OS®, Google® Chrome®,
Linux®, Unix®, or any well-known mobile operating system,
including Symbian®, Palm®, Windows Mobile®, Google®
Android®, Mobile Linux®, MXI®, etc. In an embodiment, the
remote base station 106a may employ any number of common server, desktop,
laptop, and personal computing devices.

[0031]In an embodiment, either of the LAN or the WAN portions of the data
communications network 102 of FIG. 1 may employ, but are not limited to,
any of the following common communications technologies: optical fiber,
coaxial cable, twisted pair cable, Ethernet cable, and powerline cable,
along with any wireless communication technology known in the art. In an
embodiment, the remote wireless base station 106a, the wireless user
equipment (e.g., 108a-c, 118, 120, or 122), as well as any of the other
LAN connected computing devices (e.g., 110, 112, or 114) may include any
standard computing software and hardware necessary for processing,
storing, and communicating data amongst each other within the networked
computing system 100. The computing hardware realized by any of the
network computing system 100 devices (e.g., 104a-c, 106a, 108a-c, 110,
112, 114, 116a, 118, 120, or 122) may include, but is not limited to: one
or more processors, volatile and non-volatile memories, user interfaces,
transcoders, modems, and wireline and/or wireless communications
transceivers, etc.

[0032]Further, any of the networked computing system 100 devices (e.g.,
104a-c, 106a, 108a-c, 110, 112, 114, 116a, 118, 120, or 122) may be
configured to include one or more computer-readable media (e.g., any
common volatile or non-volatile memory type) encoded with a set of
computer readable instructions, which when executed, performs a portion
of any of the resource allocation processes associated with various
embodiments of the present invention.

[0033]In an embodiment, user equipment (e.g., 108a-c, 118, 120, and 122)
may simultaneously reside within the wireless communications coverage
area 116b of the short-range base station device 116a as well as within
the wireless communications coverage area 106b of the base station 106a,
or the user equipment may reside in a single, non-overlapping area of LAN
116b or WAN 106b.

[0034]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram view of a base station device 200
(e.g., a femtocell, picocell, microcell, or a macrocell device) that may
be representative of the long-range base station device 106a and/or the
short-range base station device 116a in FIG. 1. In accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention, the base station device 200 may
include, but is not limited to, a baseband processing circuit including
at least one central processing unit (CPU) 202. In an embodiment, the CPU
202 may include an arithmetic logic unit (ALU, not shown) that performs
arithmetic and logical operations and one or more control units (CUs, not
shown) that extract instructions and stored content from memory and then
executes and/or processes them, calling on the ALU when necessary during
program execution. The CPU 202 is responsible for executing all computer
programs stored on the base station device's 200 volatile (RAM) and
nonvolatile (ROM) system memories, 204 and 226.

[0035]The base station device 200 may also include, but is not limited to,
a radio frequency (RF) circuit for transmitting and receiving data to and
from the network. The RF circuit may include, but is not limited to, a
transmit path including a digital-to-analog converter 210 for converting
digital signals from the system bus 220 into analog signals to be
transmitted, an upconverter 208 for setting the frequency of the analog
signal, and a transmit amplifier 206 for amplifying analog signals to be
sent to the antenna 212. Further, the RF circuit may also include, but is
not limited to, a receive path including the receive amplifier 214 for
amplifying the signals received by the antenna 212, a downconverter 216
for reducing the frequency of the received signals, and an
analog-to-digital converter 218 for outputting the received signals onto
the system bus 220. The system bus 220 facilitates data communication
amongst all the hardware resources of the base station device 200.

[0036]Further, the base station device 200 may also include, but is not
limited to, a user interface 222; operations and maintenance interface
224; memory 226 storing application and protocol processing software for
performing the surplus network capacity determination, buffering, error
correction, and other processes in accordance with the present invention;
and a network interface circuit 228 facilitating communication across the
LAN and/or WAN portions of the data communications network 102 (i.e., a
backhaul network).

[0037]In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the base
station 200 may use any modulation/encoding scheme known in the art such
as Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK, having 1 bit/symbol), Quadrature
Phase Shift Keying (QPSK, having 2 bits/symbol), and Quadrature Amplitude
Modulation (e.g., 16-QAM, 64-QAM, etc., having 4 bits/symbol, 6
bits/symbol, etc.). Additionally, the base station 200 may be configured
to communicate with the subscriber devices (e.g., 108a-c, 118, 120, and
122) via any Cellular Data Communications Protocol, including any common
GSM, UMTS, WiMAX or LTE protocol.

[0038]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram view of a base station and/or
server computer 300 that may be representative of any of the remote
service provider devices 104a-c or the base station 106a and 116a in FIG.
1, or any other common network device known in the art such as a router,
gateway, or switch device. The server computer 300 may include, but is
not limited to, one or more processor devices including a central
processing unit (CPU) 304. In an embodiment, the CPU 304 may include an
arithmetic logic unit (ALU, not shown) that performs arithmetic and
logical operations and one or more control units (CUs, not shown) that
extracts instructions and stored content from memory and then executes
and/or processes them, calling on the ALU when necessary during program
execution. The CPU 304 is responsible for executing all computer programs
stored on the server computer's 300 volatile (RAM), nonvolatile (ROM),
and long-term storage system memories, 302 and 310.

[0039]The server computer 300 may also include, but is not limited to, an
optional user interface 318 that allows a server administrator to
interact with the server computer's 300 software and hardware resources
and to display the performance and operation of the networked computing
system 100; a software/database repository 310 including: a surplus
network capacity determination unit 312 that may broadcast, multicast,
and/or unicast digital content using surplus network capacity in
accordance with the present invention; transmission data buffer 316 that
may store data and format data into sub-blocks to be transmitted (e.g.,
content distribution in FIGS. 6-8); and an error correction unit 314 for
correcting any transmission errors in accordance with the present
invention. Further, the server computer 300 may also include a modem 308
for formatting data communications prior to transfer; a transceiver 306
for transmitting and receiving network communications amongst various
network base stations, user equipment, and computing devices utilizing
the data communication network 102 of the networked computing system 100;
and a system bus 320 that facilitates data communications amongst all the
hardware resources of the server computer 300.

[0040]FIG. 4 illustrates a network architecture 400 with various
communication paths and networks between wireless base stations in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The base stations
and subscriber stations 408, 414, and 416 depicted in FIG. 4 may be
representative of the base stations 106a and/or 116a depicted in FIG. 1.
In an embodiment, the network architecture 400 and operator core network
402 may be consistent with a LTE network topology, while other specific
topologies may be utilized dependent on the chosen mobile standards such
as GSM, UMTS, WiMAX, WiFi, etc. The subscriber devices 418, 420, 422,
424, 426, 428, 430, and 432 in FIG. 4 may correspond with any of the
subscriber devices 108a-c, 114, 118, 120, and 122 in FIG. 1. Router 404
and remote service provider 410 in FIG. 4 may correspond to router
devices 110 and 112 and remote service providers 104a-c in FIG. 1.
Backhaul network 406 in FIG. 4 may correspond to the data communications
network 102 in FIG. 1.

[0041]By way of general explanation, content is initially delivered to a
base station 408 local cache. The content cached at base station 408 is
broadcast/multicast when surplus capacity is available in a network
resource such as a downlink channel sub-frame. Finally, content is
received by the subscriber stations (i.e., base stations) 414 and 416,
and then content is viewed by consumers on subscriber devices (e.g., 418,
420, 422, 424, 426, 428, 430, and 432). This process may be repeated
between any head-end entity (e.g., a base station) and all or selected
user stations (e.g., user equipment or subscriber devices) attached to
the head end. The general process described above is explained in detail
in the remaining FIGS. 5-8.

[0042]FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of wireless resources 500 in a wireless
transmission in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Wireless resources 500 may correspond to time-division duplexing wherein
the resources switch back and forth between transmit resources and
receive resources, or the wireless resources 500 may correspond to
frequency-division duplexing where transmit and receive radio channels
operate concurrently on separate frequency blocks. The present invention
applies equally to time-division or frequency-division duplexing,
satellite technology, any wireline technology, or any cellular/wireless
distribution known in the Art.

[0043]For each time frame 502, 504, 506, 508, and 510, a base station
device 408 or remote service provider device 410 analyzes the downlink
transmission channel to determine the allocation of resources. In the
downlink channel of frame 502 (e.g., represented by D), the used capacity
is represented by wireless resources 514, while the surplus capacity is
represented as block 512. The uplink channels (e.g., represented by U)
are referenced as wireless resources 516, 522, 526, 532, and 538.

[0044]As the network utilization varies over time, the used portion of the
downlink channel (e.g., wireless resources 514, 520, 524, 530, and 536)
varies within frames 502, 504, 506, 508, and 510. As the used portion of
the downlink channel (e.g., cross traffic) varies, the surplus capacity
(e.g., 512, 518, 528, 534) varies and is available to be used in the
present invention. Media content may be broadcast, multicast, and/or
unicast within each surplus capacity resource frame 512, 518, 528, and
534 without interfering with the present used downlink capacity in order
to maximize the use of the channel capacity.

[0045]Typically, surplus capacity is determined by a network element that
runs a frame scheduler that controls data sent on a downlink channel. In
one embodiment, this scheduler resides in a base station as an
application in memory 226 or as the surplus network capacity
determination unit 312 (e.g., when FIG. 3 represents a base station). By
way of example, this determination may be made in a base station in block
708 in FIG. 7. In another embodiment, the scheduler/determination unit
may be located in a central unit designed to control a group of base
stations (e.g., determination unit 312 when FIG. 3 represents a remote
service provider such as 104a-c). In another embodiment, the
determination is made by a network element that is separate from a frame
scheduler that controls the data sent on a downlink channel. By way of
example, a determination of this type is shown as the determination step
in block 806 of FIG. 8.

[0046]FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram 600 depicting processes for
broadcasting/multicasting media content in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention. It should be understood that this process 600
could be executed using one or more computer-executable programs stored
on one or more computer-readable media located on any one of the base
station devices (e.g., 106a, 116a, 200, 408, 414, and 416), or
collaboratively on the network base station 106a, 300, or 408, the group
of remote service provider devices 104a-c or 410, or on any other common
service provider device known in the Art of FIGS. 1-4. As mentioned above
in relation to FIG. 4, the basic inventive process steps are shown in
FIG. 6. First, in block 602 data to be distributed is received. In one
embodiment, the base station 106a or 408 may receive the data to be
distributed. Next, in block 604 the process continues by determining
surplus network capacity. In one embodiment, determining surplus network
capacity corresponds to the surplus network capacity determined in FIG.
5. Finally, in block 606 the received data is distributed to at least one
subscriber device within the surplus network capacity determined in block
604. In one embodiment, the process repeats for each time frame until the
received data is distributed completely to the subscriber devices.

[0047]FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram 700 depicting processes for
broadcasting/multicasting media content in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention. Again, it should be understood that this
process 700 could be executed using one or more computer-executable
programs stored on one or more computer-readable media located on any one
of the base station devices (e.g., 106a, 116a, 200, 408, 414, and 416),
or collaboratively on the network base station 106a, 408, or 300, the
group of remote service provider devices 104a-c or 410, or on any other
common service provider device known in the Art of FIGS. 1-4. At block
702 the process comprises receiving data from the network. In one
embodiment, the network may correspond to the networks 102 and 406. A
non-exhaustive listing of modern digital media content types that may be
received from the network include: movies, TV programs, home video,
software applications, video games, podcasts, music, e-books, etc. In
block 704, the data is cached in a memory (e.g., 204, 226, and 310) at
the base station (e.g., 106a, 116a, 200, 300, 408, 414, and 416). More
generally, the data may be cached in any head-end component in a
communications network or in any head-end component relative to
downstream subscriber devices. At block 706, the process formats the data
into sub-blocks to be transmitted, according to various methods known in
the Art, so that successive portions of the content file may be sent at a
time.

[0048]At block 708, the process determines an unused portion of a downlink
channel of the base station for a particular time period. In one
embodiment, the base station (e.g., 106a, 116a, 200, 300, 408, 414, and
416) may easily determine surplus capacity because the base station is
responsible for orchestrating all the communication with the various
subscriber devices. For example, if the total downlink channel capacity
is N Bytes per time unit and only M Bytes (M<N) are scheduled for
transmission in that time unit, then N-M Bytes are unused and may be used
to send a portion of the cached content. An alternate embodiment is shown
in FIG. 8.

[0049]At block 710, the process schedules a portion of the data to be
distributed during a particular time period. The amount of data to be
transmitted during the time period corresponds to the unused capacity
determined in block 708. The type of scheduling may depend on whether the
data is to be broadcast in a multicast fashion or in a unicast fashion,
determined in block 712. If the data is to be broadcast as a multicast in
block 714, the base station wirelessly and simultaneously broadcasts the
data to a plurality of predetermined or selected devices. In one
embodiment, a single copy of a digital packet sent from a head end (i.e.,
a base station) is received by all or selected subscriber devices
associated with the base station. Once the recipient device (e.g., a
subscriber device) receives the transmission, the subscriber device may
store the data until later retrieval by a user once the entire content
has been received or once a predetermined fraction of the content has
been received. If the data is to be broadcast as a unicast in block 716,
the process successively delivers the same content to a plurality of
users, one at a time. This method does not achieve the same efficiency
gains as the multicast method of transmission, but may be desirable for
other reasons such as security or for error correction. In one embodiment
in the unicast delivery in block 716, each subscriber device may receive
the content in succession based on a random or priority ordering of
users. Further, once a user received the entire content file, the next
user in a list would begin to receive content until all users received
the content. In either of a broadcast, multicast, or unicast delivery,
the data is delivered using otherwise unused channel capacity.

[0050]The broadcast or multicast channel may not allow error-free
transmission to all intended stations at all times. Block 718 may support
methods of detecting and correcting transmission errors by existing
means, which will be discussed for completeness. Detection methods
include but are not limited to: checksums, frame check sequences, and
cyclic redundancy checks. Correction methods include but are not limited
to: automatic repeat request (ARQ), hybrid ARQ, negative acknowledgement
protocols, duplicate transmissions, or a combination of some or all of
these methods. Some of these detection and correction capabilities may be
provided transparently by lower protocol layers of the channel itself,
while others may be provided at higher application layers. In one
embodiment, these correction methods do not have to run according to a
critical time schedule because the content delivery event is separated in
time from content use by the end user. Retransmission of detected error
portions of the content may be accomplished by sending just those sub
blocks of the digital content that span the errors, rather than repeating
transmission of the entire content file. Receiving stations track which
content files have errors and replace retransmitted sub blocks in order
to create entirely error-free content files. The cycle of error
detection, reporting, and retransmission may be repeated until all or
most of the stations have error-free copies, or a maximum number of
attempts have been made.

[0051]FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram 800 depicting processes for
broadcasting/multicasting media content in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention. Again, it should be understood that this
process 800 could be executed using one or more computer-executable
programs stored on one or more computer-readable media located on any one
of the base station devices (e.g., 106a, 116a, 200, 408, 414, and 416),
or collaboratively on the network base station 106a, 408, or 300, the
group of remote service provider devices 104a-c or 410, or on any other
common service provider device known in the Art of FIGS. 1-4. The process
in block 802 again comprises receiving data to be distributed. This
process step may correspond to the steps in blocks 602, 702, 704, and
706. Next, at block 804 the process senses activity on a channel. This
step may be performed when the base station or head end is not completely
responsible for scheduling all wireless resources, as may be the case in
an intermediate base station unit. In one embodiment, the process senses
activity on the channel (e.g., CSMA-CA in a shared bus configuration) and
can determine when the fixed-size channel is less than completely
occupied in a given transmission opportunity time period in block 806.
Once the surplus channel capacity is determined by the head end (i.e., a
base station device), the head end transmits a portion of the remaining
unsent cached content that fills the unoccupied channel capacity.
Transmission may constitute distributing the data to at least one
subscriber device in block 808.

[0052]In conclusion, the present invention solves the problem of how to
simultaneously broadcast/multicast large content files to a plurality of
users for later retrieval, by using existing network capacity as opposed
to being forced to add new capacity to handle peak demand. As many access
networks having similar requirements are faced with the same capacity and
congestion problems, this invention is applicable to, but not limited to:
direct-to-home satellite, wireless (cellular 3G/LTE, WiMAX, WiFi), and
cable.

[0053]The invention is novel because it takes advantage of unused network
capacity to simultaneously broadcast content to users, especially
relevant to wireless (e.g. WiMAX/802.16, 3G/LTE) networks where total
network capacity is a scarce resource. Previous broadcast approaches
explicitly provide for content delivery bandwidth in the overall booked
traffic, thereby reducing the capacity to simultaneously serve other
applications. Notably, the invention may use ordinary channel capacity
that is otherwise used for carrying user traffic when it is present. In
one embodiment, the invention may not use extraordinary methods or
modifications of the transmission channel, thereby reducing any technical
hurdles to integrating the invention with existing technology.

[0054]If implemented, operators will be able to offer services to deliver
selected popular content to arbitrary numbers of their customers without
impacting their overall network capacity requirements. The key business
impact is that the operators will be able to increase the revenue per
user by offering new popular content delivery services, without incurring
additional network expansion capital expenditures.

[0055]The invention is highly likely to be used in commercial settings
because of the ease of scaling the service to arbitrary numbers of
customers. It is anticipated that the invention may become a standard or
recommended service architecture based on future operator adoption.
Further, it may be difficult or impossible to design around the systems
and methods described herein using surplus capacity to deliver content
without otherwise impacting the delivery network. Detecting use of the
invention may be relatively easy in a commercial service due to the
unique service functionality that the invention enables.

[0056]While several embodiments of the present invention have been
illustrated and described herein, many changes can be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the
scope of the invention is not limited by any disclosed embodiment.
Instead, the scope of the invention should be determined from the
appended claims that follow.